Bocadillo de Tortilla
(boh-kah-DEE-yo de tor-TEE-yah)
Mañanas y Meriendas: The Rhythms of Morning and Afternoon
At 10 a.m. at a zinc counter in Madrid, the undeniable king of sandwiches is a thick wedge of yesterday's tortilla—a perfectly juicy potato omelet wedged into a fiercely crusty loaf. Achieving that creamy, authentic texture usually means an hour of slow-poaching potatoes in copious amounts of oil, but we bypass that with a highly legitimate modern Spanish trick—steam-poaching the potatoes in the microwave—while fiercely protecting the grandmother's true secret: letting those hot potatoes rest in the beaten eggs before cooking. Wrap the split, olive-oil-rubbed baguette tight until the foil crackles, let the oil soak into the crumb, and eat it standing up.
Ingredients
- crusty baguette or ciabatta loaf1 large
- Yukon Gold potatoes3 med
- yellow onion1 med
- extra virgin olive oil4 tbsp
- eggs5 large
- kosher salt1 tsp
- ripe tomato1 med
- mayonnaise2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Toss the sliced potatoes, onion, three tablespoons of the olive oil, and half the salt in a large microwave-safe bowl.
Cover tightly with vented plastic wrap and microwave on high for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring halfway, until the potatoes are meltingly tender and easily crushed with a fork.
- 02
Immediately fold the steaming hot potatoes and onions into the beaten eggs along with the remaining salt.
Stop and wait. Let this mixture rest for at least five minutes so the hot potatoes absorb the egg and thicken the mixture into a loose custard—the ultimate secret to a juicy tortilla.
- 03
Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, pour in the mixture, and cook undisturbed for three to four minutes.
Spread the potatoes evenly across the pan; you want the edges to turn golden brown and set while the center remains slightly wobbly.
- 04
Place a large flat plate upside down over the skillet, confidently invert the pan to drop the tortilla onto the plate, and gently slide it back into the skillet raw-side down.
Use your spatula to tuck the rounded edges of the tortilla inward, cook for another two minutes, then slide onto a cutting board to rest.
- 05
Build your bocadillo by rubbing the cut bread vigorously with a halved raw tomato or spreading a thin layer of mayonnaise, then wedging a generous slice of the warm tortilla inside.
Press down slightly so the crusty bread hugs the soft, yielding center, and eat immediately.
Notes
Respect the bread.
Do not attempt this with soft sandwich bread. A Spanish bocadillo strictly demands a firm, crusty loaf to provide structural integrity against the soft, yielding tortilla.
Choose the right potato.
Russets have too much starch and will dissolve into mush. Waxy or medium-starch varieties like Yukon Gold are mandatory for replicating the creamy interior of a Spanish Kennebec.
From Cook Spanish in America.